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Monday, August 31, 2009

Ever wonder where your favorite food got it’s start? How about macaroni and cheese? Many believe that Thomas Jefferson invented macaroni and cheese; however, he perhaps only introduced the dish to America. Although it is true that Jefferson served Macaroni Pie at Monticello, macaroni and cheese was already a popular dish in Europe where Jefferson first tasted it.

The first known written recipe for Mac & Cheese comes from Elizabeth Raffald’s The Experienced English Housekeeper in 1769, (p.261). It's worth taking a look at if only to show your kids how people wrote weird back then, (Macaroni with Permafent Cheefe!). Actually, it's kind of neat to think that people back in the olden days liked the same foods we do today. Just think of Jane Austen with a big plate of Mac & Cheese. Maybe she thought about writing, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of macaroni, must be in want of cheese."

Today's recipe is an antique recipe from Mrs. Isabella Beeton. She wrote Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management which was Victorian England's Bible for all thing domestic. And just so you can appreciate what it took to make Macaroni back in the day, Mrs. Beeton states the time to boil the macaroni can be up to 1 3/4 hours. Talk about slaving over a stove all day...

Mrs. Beeton’s Macaroni, as usually served with the Cheese Course Adapted for the modern kitchen Serves 6-7 (In Victorian terms that is, this is part of a larger meal)

Put the milk and water in a saucepan with sufficient salt to flavor it. Bring water to a boil and cook macaroni as directed on package. Drain macaroni and put it into a deep dish. Sprinkle some of the cheese and butter cut into small pieces throughout the macaroni. Spread the remainder of the cheese over the top. Season with a little pepper and cover with bread-crumbs. Warm, without oiling, the remainder of the butter and gently pour over the bread-crumbs. Place it under the broiler to brown the crumbs.

(Mrs. Beeton says that the macaroni can be boiled in plain water instead of using milk, but should then be mixed with some butter.)

Thursday, August 6, 2009

A few years ago, while I was in Scotland, I had my first taste of steak pie. With its flaky crust and rich gravy, I wondered where this dish had been all my life. It seems that when it comes to meat pies in America, we tend to stick with chicken pot pie. And that’s a shame, because steak pie is very satisfying and a perfect comfort food.Traditional recipes for steak pie involve browning, flouring, and what not, but I can’t be bothered with that. I created this recipe to get the job done and dinner on the table without too much trouble. Serve this with mashed potatoes and green peas, and you’ve got dinner in no time!

Cut the steak into ½ inch cubes. Add cubes to crock-pot along with water and pinch of salt and pepper. Cook in crock-pot on low for 5 hours. (Alternatively you could simmer on stovetop until cooked through.)

With a slotted spoon, remove steak cubes to casserole dish. Make the gravy following the instructions on the packet, substituting the water with the remaining crock-pot liquid. Add gravy to the casserole dish.

Thaw puff pastry according to package directions. (It may take up to 40 minutes, so plan ahead.) Unroll sheet and place over the casserole dish. Trim edges as needed, allowing for some to sit on the edge of the dish. With a knife, cut a slit or two in the middle of the crust to allow steam to escape. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

To make a more golden brown crust, brush the top of the pastry with an egg wash, (1 egg, scrambled and 1 tablespoon water,) before baking.

Other steak pie variations:

Steak and Kidney Pie: Add one beef kidney to recipe. Wash kidney and remove outer membrane and fatty tissue, halve and remove white tubes, cut into small cubes. Cover with salted water and let stand 1 hour. Drain and cover with cold water and bring to a boil, then drain. Add to the crock-pot with steak cubes and follow the recipe above.